Navigation

NGO suspends two workers over alleged migrant abuse

Greek judicial authorities have launched an investigation into claims that two employees of the international aid agency Mercy Corps sexually harassed migrants in Greek reception centers and misused funds intended for their welfare.

“Mercy Corps is committed to the protection of our beneficiaries and has zero tolerance for any form of harassment, exploitation, fraud or theft,” the aid agency, which first brought the issue to the attention of the Greek authorities, said in a statement.

Mercy Corps is also carrying out its own investigation and that the two workers have been suspended pending the outcome of the probe.

The allegations were first made public on May 16, when European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides said European Union funding would be halted for an unnamed NGO. Greece’s Supreme Court prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou subsequently launched an investigation into the claims.